One painful but valuable lesson has played out in Oregon, where a 6-year-old child was publicly shamed for tardiness at school, triggering widespread outrage across the country but leading to positive changes.
First grader Hunter Cmelo had been consistently tardy to the classroom for reasons well beyond his control. His mother, Nicole Garloff, had been dealing with serious health problems, and the family’s older SUV had been constantly malfunctioning. Yet despite all this, Hunter had been doing the best he could, only to face punishment for it in the cruellest manner.
Hunter at school was forced to eat by himself in the school lunchroom and sit behind a cardboard partition, isolated from his schoolmates because of his tardiness. Left all by himself, with no child to talk to, the 6-year-old sat in stunned silence.
As Nicole dropped by the school to find her son crying, her world was broken into pieces. She took this picture not because she was mad, but because she could not believe this was how the child had been treated. The picture was posted by Hunter’s grandma on Facebook with consequences she could never have imagined.
The picture soon went viral, and supportive messages flooded in from all over the country. Parents, teachers, and complete strangers expressed their outrage and urged the school to stop what was deemed an appalling and detrimental activity. Everyone was pleading for compassion, not punishment, and especially so regarding children struggling at home.
One person in particular who was touched by Hunter’s experience was a local radio station personality named Bill Meyer. He was made aware that, due to Hunter’s accident, their car, a Dodge Durango, was unrepairable. He set out to make a difference. This led to a community rallying behind them.
Rapid Repo and Collections and other local businesses surprised the family with a restored 2001 model minivan. Kelly’s Automotive extended their generosity by offering the family a year of free oil changes and a fuel card loaded with $100 worth of gas.
“I’m just blown away,” Hunter’s father, Marc, was clearly emotional about. “To see people come together like this — it proves there are still good people who truly care.”
The public reaction also brought change to the school district. It was announced that the policy was to be revamped to stop the practice of secluding students due to tardiness. But now, when students are tardy, they are gently supported and are able to finish their work in a positive and supportive environment with the help of a teacher’s aide. But out of the tears of one small boy comes the great reminder: When we substitute compassion for judgment, we can turn suffering into success.
